On the campus of Clairemont High, long gone are the days of Charlie Chieftain roaming the sideline at football games in a caricatured costume with headdress.

Today's Chieftain, said principal Nelly Meyer, has evolved with the times.

CHARLIE NEUMAN / Union-Tribune

Fallbrook High's Indian-themed nickname is fine with Robert Smith, chairman of the Pala tribe and a graduate of the school.

"We treat it as an object of dignity," Meyer said. "The Chieftain is a heroic figure. The modernization of it is a very positive image."

So much so, Meyer said, that Native American groups approached by Clairemont have supported the new artistic rendering of the Chieftain, which dates back to the school's opening in 1958.

Tradition, though, is at war with political correctness. Last month, the NCAA declared a ban on American Indian nicknames and mascots in postseason tournaments. Coupled with the continued efforts of one state assemblywoman to eradicate the nicknames in California schools altogether, the decision by college athletics' national governing body has reignited the issue.

One local school – Mountain Empire, east of Pine Valley – has forged a new identity since its Redskins nickname was changed to Redhawks in 1998.

Nickname debate

A timeline of developments in the use of American Indian nicknames:

1970: Little Red, the unofficial mascot of the University of Oklahoma, is retired.

1972: Stanford changes its nickname from Indians to Cardinal.

1997: Los Angeles Unified School District bans use of American Indian nicknames in its schools.

1998: Mountain Empire changes its nickname from Redskins to Redhawks.

2001: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights calls for the end of the use of American Indian mascots and team names.

2001: Southwestern College changes its nickname from Apaches to Jaguars.

2001: San Diego State recommends changing the image of its mascot, Monty Montezuma.

2002: Bill introduced to ban use of American Indian nicknames in California public schools and universities. The bill never becomes law.

2004: After three years without a mascot, San Diego State introduces a more historically accurate depiction of an Aztec warrior.

2005: NCAA announces postseason ban of American Indian nicknames and imagery.

Three others – Clairemont, El Cajon Valley and Fallbrook – continue to stand proudly by their nicknames, even as depiction of their mascots has changed over the years from humans in costumes to more culturally sensitive images.

"We've always been very particular about what the imagery portrays," El Cajon Valley Principal Paul Dautremont said of the school's Braves nickname. "We've always tried to keep our Brave symbol very dignified and proud."

Dautremont said cultural understanding, of not only the Native American culture but of all backgrounds represented among El Cajon Valley's students, is an important part of the educational experience. It has inspired a weeklong schedule of activities each spring that celebrates the campus' numerous cultures.

Local tribes Viejas and Sycuan have shown support financially, making donations to El Cajon Valley's athletic program and other extracurricular activities.

Among the graduates of Fallbrook is Robert Smith, now chairman of the nearby Pala tribe. Smith said he has trouble relating to the issue.

"I can't see where it's coming from," he said. "I don't take any offense to it. When I was a high school athlete, we supported it because that's what we were."

"An institution can adopt whatever mascot it wishes – that's an institutional matter," Walter Harrison, chairman of the NCAA Executive Committee and president of the University of Hartford, said last month. "But as an association, we believe these sorts of mascots that are hostile or abusive are not the sorts of things we wish to see at events we (the NCAA) control."

While concerned about the NCAA's stance, local high schools are paying closer attention to a debate on the floor of the California Legislature.

In 2002, Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, D-Los Angeles, authored a bill targeting all American Indian nicknames used in all California public schools and universities. After that legislation failed, Goldberg narrowed her focus to elementary through high school and a single nickname: Redskins.

"It's a basic civil rights issue," Goldberg told Copley News Service. "We don't permit any other ethnic group to be caricatured as a part of sport."

Goldberg's bill has its supporters, ranging from the Alliance Against Racial Mascots to the Southern California Indian Center, but its newest version was vetoed last week by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who said decisions on school nicknames should be made at the local level.

Among the bill's opponents was state Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Merced, who has a school in his district with the Redskins nickname.

"Forcing school districts to change their identity and forcing them to pay for it when schools are facing cutbacks is wrong," Denham said in a statement. "Let the local districts decide what is best for their schools rather than Los Angeles liberals mandating the change. It's unfortunate to see that proponents of this measure are again wasting time and resources with the exact same bill vetoed last year."

Denham estimated it would cost $100,000 for a school to change its nickname and mascot.

The National Federation of State High School Associations also believes decisions on nicknames should be made locally, and the California Interscholastic Federation follows suit.

Newer San Diego area high schools have taken nickname selection one step further by giving power to the students.

When it came time for Otay Ranch to select a name, Principal Jose Brosz was part of a committee that visited feeder schools seeking input from future Otay Ranch students.

"It should be up to the community and the students of that school," said Brosz, who noted similar measures were taken at Steele Canyon and Westview. "The best thing to do is have the kids own it."

Students about to enter Otay Ranch were given ballots and a short lesson on the area's ranch history.

When the votes were counted, the Mustangs were the overwhelming choice, and former ASB Director John Hinkle went to work to bring the nickname to life, including the mural now found inside the gym.

"It was important for us to have something that reflected the ranch theme and the community could be proud of," Brosz said.

It's been seven years since Mountain Empire changed its nickname, and Principal Jan Hagin said it has been a positive move.

"Given the context of the time, the time had come to consider it," said Hagin, who took over after the change was made. "My understanding was this was an attempt by the school to be proactive rather than reacting to pressure."

Hagin said the only references still found on campus to the Redskins are on old trophies or banners left by earlier graduating classes, yet the change was no small undertaking, especially financially.

"It is really now accepted," Hagin said. "Traditions can be reborn, and you can definitely see that here."